Shufflin’ (2019 Shamrock Shuffle) – 3/24/19

“He’s a rebel and a runner. He’s a signal turning green.” – RUSH

While I haven’t done it in the past 2 years, the Shamrock Shuffle is a special race for me. This is the race where everything Triathlon-related started for me. And while I know that last sentence sounds odd, it will all make sense in a moment. Keri Serota, who is the Executive Director of Dare2Tri, is also the AWD coordinator for the Shamrock Shuffle. The short version of the story goes I told her I was going to do my first Tri in Aug 2015, she told me about Dare2Tri and invited me to the PT camp; the rest is history.

After Columbus, I felt really good going into Shamrock Shuffle. Instead of 3 loops of hills, I knew I’d only have one major (Roosevelt) hill and that I’d only have to do it once. So going in, I had two real goals: (1) To make it out of the tunnels before the elites caught up to us and (2) to not walk outside of aid station and at most 1/3 of the Roosevelt hill. Having burnt out in mile 1 in 2016, I knew that my pacing had to be better. Lisa kept an eye on this throughout the entire run, and that helped immensely.

Goal #1 was achieved during the 1st mile (I believe they caught us at about .65 or .7). From that point through the first aid station (about 1.6), the pace was fairly consistent and I had two guides with me. Then at close to 2, I unintentially dropped a guide. We tried to keep them in sight as they caught their breath and regrouped, but it just didn’t work for them to re-join. And while it wasn’t intentional, yes, I did still feel bad about it happening. All of the guides I run with give up their time and race to run with and look after me. I try my hardest to return that. Keri (Achilles) joined us about a half mile later so that I had two guides again.

Shortly after the 5K spilt, I started to look for the aid station. Given where the first one had been and the race distance, I expected it at about 3.25. However, it didn’t appear until almost 3.7. I’ve stopped running with a bottle on 5k/8K/10K races, so I was struggling a bit between where I thought it would be and where it was. Mostly in terms of trying to get enough lubrication so I could swallow.

After you make the turn at about 3.9 or 4, it’s a straight shot to the turn at Roosevelt, hill and finish. Having run that stretch several times, I remember it being clear sailing. So I didn’t expect or see the divot that caused me to trip and fall. Luckily I caught myself and really only hit the pad of my palm hard. After taking about a minute to regroup and about a minute to walk, we started off again towards Mt. Roosevelt.

While I didn’t succeed in running it completely, I did succeed with goal #2. In 2015 and 2016, I had to stop after about 100 feet and walk it. This year, I made it about 1/2 way up before I had to stop and walk for 30-45 seconds. Once I got my breath back, we kept running and finished strong (1:03:25).

I look forward to running it again in 2020. Thank you to Achilles for their support and to Lisa, Keri and Jen for guiding for me! Also thank to you Dare2Tri for facilitation the AWD support!

#shamrockshuffle #shamrockshuffle2019 #achilles #achilleschicago #dare2tri #awd #8K #GoAchilles

Take 1 (Arnold Indoor Tri) – 3/2/19

“And the magic music makes your morning mood.” – RUSH

Last year as I was planning out my Nationals qualifying races, I stumbled across an Indoor Tri in Columbus. Having family there, I decided to give it a try. And while the run was a bitch, what sticks in my mind from last year was crushing the bike when good music came on. Even though I can’t remember if it was Welcome to the Jungle or Paradise City, I do remember hitting 28 or 29 on the bike when GNR came on.

So going into this year’s race, I was really hoping for several solid songs together. I knew that that was the only way for me to make it off the bike in 20 minutes and ultimately to having a chance at 1:18. I also knew that facing the hill in practice would make it a little ‘less worse’ on Saturday. We got in a full lap along with some swim and ‘bike fit’ before calling it a night.

Based on how practice went Friday night, I was confident that I could qualify Saturday IF T2 was less of a maze. And as we got into the pool, I was confident that I could come close to a 16/2/20/2/38 split to achieve the 1:18 I needed.

While I felt good on the swim, it did not go as I wanted or needed it to. Results show that my 100s averaged about 45s slower than they should have been. And Robin mentioned that there were a lot of straight arm strokes. Definitely something that needs to be addressed before the next race…

When we made it to the bike, I had no idea that I was 5 minutes off my mark. I honestly believed that I was at worst in a 2 minute hole. In any event, I was ready to try and keep a 30mph pace during the bike. To that end, I had 2 full bottles of Skratch and a Clif bar to eat towards the end. I figured by doing so, I’d keep the mph and have a little more for hill hell.

While that was a great plan, it didn’t fully come to fruition. Even though I was able to spike to 29-30, I wasn’t able to sustain it for more than a minute. There were a couple of really good songs that helped the average. But during a couple, I could definitely feel the mojo draining.

Knowing that I was at about 54 minutes headed out to the run, it became purely about pride. I know I can’t run 7 minute miles on the best days. So there surely wasn’t any way I could run 7 minute miles in hill hell.

I can and will continue to call the run hill hell because of the river -> Premier part. When you come out of T2, you’re in the middle of two hills. The one to the right, where you start up, isn’t that bad. Let’s call it a 1/4 mile gentle uphill. However, the one to the left is a PITA. Let’s call it a 1/4 mile that starts with a ~25 degree uphill for 150-200 feet, followed by a steeper gradual uphill for the rest of it. And to add injury to insult, you have to slow/stop your legs at the bottom of the downhill to turn. Not fun trying to restart your engine AND go up a steep grade.

Lap 1 was okay; lap 2 was meh; lap 3 was a struggle. After 2 laps of struggling with the steep hill, I had little left for the uphills in lap 3. So it turned into staggered run/walk to just get through it. Even though I had to walk in parts, I was able to nail the 5K pace that I wanted.

And while I just spent two paragraphs saying how frustrating the hills are, YES I will be back in 2020 to race it again.

Thanks to Robin for guiding for me again this year! And to #EagleCheerleader and family/friends for coming out to cheer us on!

Southern Exposure (D2T Elite Camp) – 2/14-17/19

Year #4 as part of the Dare2Tri Development Team started off with a respite from the cold. In the past, the Elite camp has been in Chicago. Not surprisingly, this means treadmill running and lots of COLD. So it was nice to have it at the Lakeshore Foundation in Alabama.

Before I go on with camp #4, I want to go back to camp #1. The header photo for this blog is the jacket that was part of the 2016 Team gear. At that point, I didn’t realize that Triathlon gear wasn’t cut the same as normal clothes and that you usually (well, make that almost always…) need to size up to get the same fit. So when I received the jacket, it wouldn’t fit and has sat in my closet for 3 years. This year it will fit really well and get used pre-race in several races to keep warm!

Day 1 started off with a bike build, ‘paced’ running including sprints and a bike workout (including a bit of off-roading). Even though it was warm, it was really windy and a little rainy, so I was glad to have the L/S bike top to use. I also had an opportunity to play with the Apple watch during the run.

The afternoon consisted of strength, swim and yoga. Because of the group size, this meant circle swimming. This is not one of my most favorite things; simply because I’m swimming ‘blind’ and then having to find an opposite wall. I say ‘blind’ because very rarely am I able to make out markers on the bottom of pools like this where it goes from say 3.5 ft (shallow) to 10+ (deep). But it all worked out without too much issue.

Day 2 was the same format as Day 1, with T2 practice instead of strength. The run was on an outdoor track (mile straight and then relays) and we were able to find a ‘closed’ road path to bike on. I was able to negative split throughout the T2 practice and found a couple of things to help as the race season starts. The afternoon swim was an OWS simulation, with several lane lines having been removed.

Day 3 was a recovery day, with just run and swim sessions put in. Even though the IT band behind my left knee was hurting, I was able to get a decent amount of work in. Even if it’s not perfect, you should never waste a session — you can never get it back.

It was a great camp and I hope that the Elite camp will continue to be in warmer weather so we can bike and run outdoors in Feb.! Thank you to everyone at Lakeshore for their help and hospitality throughout the weekend!

Into the Dark (Goalball / Night Races) – 1/17/19

USABA Blackout goggles and knee/elbow pads

“Get busy living, or get busy dying.” – The Shawshank Redemption

For a very long time, I’ve struggled in the dark and at night because of my vision. So to most of you, it may seen counterintuitive to be doing races and sports where my vision is ‘taken away’. But there is a method to my madness… at least this time.

With the vision changes that I’ve noticed in the last 12 months, I strongly believe that the next radical change will happen at some point within the next 5 years. I wish I had a crystal ball so that I could tell you when and what it would be, but I don’t. And since I don’t, I’ve got two main choices — do everything that I can with that vision during the next 5 years as well as proactively prepare for the future OR go hide in a cave.

Spoiler alert; I’ve chosen the former. To that end, one of the sports that I’m trying to get more involved in is Goalball. For those of you whom have never seen it, go to YouTube and watch a few videos. But as a very small thumbnail, it’s played by teams of 3 (center and 2 wings) with a ball that has a bell in it. Everyone has on blackout goggles and pads, and is on the ground. It’s a tremendous amount of fun, and even more so when you keep the proper form (so the Goalball doesn’t hit you in the nose). Saturday will be the second prectice of the season, and we’ll see how things continue to go.

But Goalball isn’t the only ‘dark’ sport that I will be doing in 2019. Over the last two years, I’ve done the Chicago Glo Run in the dark. If all the timing works, I plan to be doing a minimum of 3 night races. These are ones where I have to put total faith and trust in my guides since I’ll be able to see very little outside of the ‘glow zones’. Two of them will be races similar to the Color Run, so I know going in that I need to have ‘throwaway clothes’ for them.

You may be asking ‘so why the radical change to doing all of this dark stuff now?’ The simple answer is to tell my vision to go screw itself. As I said to several thoughout 2018, I refuse to be a prisoner of the dark. And this part of my 2019 schedule just further proves that.

Sober (2019 Hammer) – 12/12/18

In late 2016 as I was struggling to figure out how to deal with my nutrition needs for 2017, I reached out to Hammer Nutrition. Within a very short time, they said yes. The support that they provided in 2017 and 2018 was greatly appreciated and helped immensely.

When I reached out for support for 2019, I was made aware of a new process. While I had hoped for a yes, I was unfortunately told no. The simple explanation is that a lot of people applied. Even though I made strides forward in 2018, I accept that I’m still behind a LOT of people.

After receiving this e-mail, it would have been easy to completely jump ship. But that wouldn’t have been in my best interests, short or long-term. I KNOW that things went so well during the 2018 season because I had Hammer’s products in my race kit throughout the 2018 season. If you need proof of that, just read back through the camp and race reports (especially Ripon).

What I will do is ensure that at least the core products are in place, along with finding some alternatives to fill in / make Hammer ones last. It won’t be as perfect as I had hoped, but I know it will lead to successes in 2019.

While I never want to lose a sponsorship, I understand that it can happen. In this case, it just adds one more main goal to my 2019 season — doing everything I can to earn a sponsored spot again in 2020!

Season Finale (Jingle Bell Run) – 12/8/18

It has certainly been a long, but extremely fun, season. It started in San Diego in January, had stops in IL, IN, WI, OH and CO, and wrapped up in Chicago. There were a LOT of positives during the season, and I will build on those in 2019.

The final race of the season was the Chicago Jingle Bell 5K. As with the previous 5Ks this fall/winter, a member of Achilles (Kristin) was my guide.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I sometimes forget one item at home when packing for a race. While I didn’t forget anything at home this time, I did almost forget gloves/hat at gear check. It was warm inside, and I had put them into the pockets before doing gear chuck. Thankfully, I realized it in plenty of time to grab them from gear check before we headed outside.

Prior to the start, it was a nice surprise to run into our former RBD. I hadn’t seen him for about 7 years, and it was nice to have a few minutes to talk with him and catch up. After starting, the first 2 miles went really well. There were lots of ice patches on the path, but Kristin ensured that we went around them. After that, the same issues that I had during the final mile last race came up. Even though it was about 90 seconds total slower than I had aimed for, it was still a good race. On advice of one of my friends, I will be working on longer training runs during the offseason so that I’m not hitting a wall at 2 – 2.5.

One other note from the race is that it was nice to see concern for others during the race. At about the 2.1-2.2 mile point, a runner tripped over a stick and fell hard. While they were okay, everyone around them (including us) stopped temporarily and made sure that they were okay.

I also want to make sure that I properly thank everyone who’s helped me throughout the season. It would not have been as successful as it was without all of your help and support! THANK YOU to

Dare2Tri
Challenged Athletes Foundation
Hammer Nutrition
Naperville Noon Lions Club
Achilles Chicago
A long list of guides, family & friends

#WhyILoveDare2Tri (#GivingTuesday 2018) – 11/27/18

Five years ago, I had no idea what it would take to do a Triathlon. And four years ago, Triathlon was supposed to be a ‘one and done’ (2015 Naperville Sprint Triathlon). Then a chance meeting changed everything forever….

When I arrived to run the 2015 Shamrock Shuffle, Keri Serota was the AWD Director. She also was, and still is, the Executive Director of Dare2Tri. As we talked for a few minutes prior to the race, she shared a lot of great information with me about Dare2Tri and invited me to their Paratriathlon (PT) camp in June.

When I showed up there, I had very little when it came to proper gear. I believe I had a helmet, a swim suit, goggles and a pair of normal gym shoes. Definitely not all of the tools that you need to be successful in the world of Triathlon. But that didn’t stop me from having a successful camp, as they provided everything else that I needed.

Just as important as the training were all of the people that I met and new friendships that I made. These were people that had the same amount, or even less sight, that were all being successful — both there and in their daily lives. Seeing that helped tremendously from the personal perspective.

More than 4 years later, I have grown so much athletically and personally because of their support and the Dare2Tri family/community. That ‘one and done’ has turned into about 40 so far, with another 17 planned in 2019. And while I can’t honestly say that I’ll accept eventually losing my sight, I can say that I feel better about it than I did in 2015. I know I wouldn’t be able to say that if I hadn’t made the connection with Dare2Tri.

I realize that there are a lot of organizations that are asking for funding today and throughout the rest of the year. But I would ask you to consider making a donation to Dare2Tri. The $150 goal that I’ve set will cover a race entry. And I truly believe that what you’re doing will start a spark in someone else like it did for me. Dare2Tri helped me to cross my first finish line in 2015, and I hope you’ll help someone else to be able to cross theirs in 2019!

Thank you in advance for any support you can provide! You can donate through this link.

Minion Mania (Run to D.C. 5K) – 11/10/18

The Minion police have finally caught up with me. WHo’s got an alibi for me? 😉

This was my 2nd offseason 5K, and it went better than the first. Mainly because there wasn’t Mt. Roosevelt to contend with… But in return for only minor / more reasonable hills, the cold piper had to be paid.

After meeting with Jen, we went outside a few minutes early to acclimate. Having stood on concrete in cold weather for hours in the past, I wasn’t too concerned. Then the wind really kicked up, and my attitude was ‘screw it until it’s about to start’. So once everyone else exited to start, so did we.

For about the first 1/10th of a mile, we had other people around us. And then it was like our own race for 3 miles. Sure, there were lots of other runners out there, but we didn’t see a single one until we went back inside post-race.

A week ago, it was at about the 2 mi mark when things started to fall apart a little. Today, it was close to 2.65mi. And unlike last week, it only took about 30-45 seconds to regroup and get back to running. Overall, it was one of the more complete 5Ks that I’ve run this year.

I’ve got one final 5K to wrap up my 2018 season. And then it’s on to 2019. Did I mention that there’s no real ‘offseason’? 😀

Roaring Back – 10/5/18

As I’ve said many times in the past, I could not do what I do without the support network I have in place. This includes family and friends, guides and sponsors, all of whom play their own crucial roles in my success.

The Naperville Noon Lions Club has supported me from the beginning, helping to ensure I could attend my first PT camp. Since that point, they have been in my corner and helped to enable my growth. I am extremely grateful for their continued support for the 2019 season!

I am just one of a long list of people and projects that the Club supports through its fundraising. I will be out on the streets next Friday to help with that as part of their Candy Day. If you are in downtown Naperville near North Central College, please come out and support them. Anything you donate will help so many like me!

USABA Tri Camp (8/21-26/18)

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” – Jack Kerouac

And those simple words are THANK YOU. I am extremely grateful for the amazing opportunity that I had in Colorado Springs and to everyone whom made it possible. To Gavin, USABA and USAT for making the camp possible, to OTCOS for hosting us, to Southwest for all their travel related help (including ensuring I had my bike with me), to George for all his help in Colorado, to all of the coaches for everything during the week, to Danny for being an amazing pilot/guide throughout, and to my fellow campers for their insight and help throughout. Also, thank you to Performance Bicycle (Naperville) for all of their help with getting the bike ready and packed so that I could participate.

As some of you may remember, the cranks still hadn’t been repaired. The locktite had held for Goshen, so I wasn’t concerned about it being solid for camp. My bigger concern was about being able to disassemble / transport the bike without (a) something getting broken or (b) the crank fix falling apart. But Dave and James did an awesome job of packing it and going through everything that we needed to do so things would work out.

After landing in Denver and getting luggage, George and I headed to Colorado Springs (COS). The plan was to connect with Danny once he and Tyler made it to COS and stay at the OTC. However, weather delays kept them in Houston. So instead it was dinner and staying with George — with visits by Hank the Tank (bulldog) throughout the night. And yes, the dog thread will be evident throughout this blog…

On Wednesday, I had time to wander through the OTC while waiting for Danny/Tyler to arrive. Once they did, we did the bike build and initial fitting. After that initial part, camp started in full. While I’m not going to go into minute detail about each day, they did all include sessions (like nutrition, communication, rules, etc.) and bike, swim and run each day.

The hilights of Thursday included an almost 2 mi run that we did as a small group prior to the day starting, a ride to/from bike skills, getting used to altitude and getting more comfortable on the bike. The handlebar bottle cage got moved to the pilot’s bar to help with starts, and we worked on speed within turns.

The highlights of Friday included a run/bike brick and a much better swim than Thursday. Lesson learned that Tri kits are for day 1 and bibs are for Day 2 and beyond… I did continue to play with leaning more, and it seemed to be okay for the most part.

The hilights of Saturday included transition training, triple bricks and seeing Danny win a 25m speed race. One of the things from transition that seemed to work really well was running without socks and Yanks on the shoes. It cut about 1:10 off of the time.

With all of the training, the guide dogs spent a lot of time in the dorm rooms. This meant that they were fun to watch playing each night after being ‘freed’. And yes, two of them did fulfill their contractual obligations by coming to say a proper hello on National Dog Day (Sunday). If I had had more time, maybe all of those belly rubs I was giving out might had led to one of them following me hom (*cough* Plum *cough* ;))

It was an amazing week in COS, and I am extremely grateful to have been there. Again, thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!